Despite years of land clearing and paving and poorly managed construction, Fayetteville still has much to recommend it for nomination as a very special wildlife-habitat city

The Fayetteville City Council authorized the city's Environmental Action Committee to lead an effort to make Fayetteville the first Arkansas city to be certified as a wildlife-habitat city. Among the many places that would have qualified to be certified as excellent wildlife habitat five years ago and would have contributed to the effort before being cleared for failed developments is the acreage around the home of the late Roger Koetter, which was in large part cleared of vegetation and rich soil in preparation for the long-failed Ruskin Heights.
Please click on the image of a female coyote outside Roger's home in March 2007 before the land was cleared. Important hillside land there remains partially in its natural state and could be protected under the improved hillside ordinance and the low-impact development ordinance and watershed protection ordinance the next time a developer proposes to build on that property. So all is not lost there.